Reid: Still work to do on tax deal

The White House began selling its tax deal to a chorus of skeptical congressional Democrats whose support it will need to get the measure through Congress, but it’s clear there’s still work to do before any votes are scheduled on Capitol Hill.

Following a Senate Democratic lunch with Vice President Joe Biden, Majority Leader Harry Reid signaled that the deal needed additional modifications before Senate Democrats buy into the package.

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“I think we’re going to have to do some more work,” Reid told reporters when asked if he were confident that Democrats would sign onto the measure.

During the lunch, Democrats were generally respectful with Biden but voiced their disagreements with the plan, sources said. One of the most outspoken critics at the lunch was Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders, one of the caucus’ most liberal members, who directly challenged Biden and the deal the administration cut with Republicans.

“I think there is a certain amount of surprise – and even shock in the caucus,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). “A few people were able to speak [at the lunch with Biden], not a lot. … But there’s a lot of surprise – it’s a big, surprising package.”

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said Biden’s message was that it was “a bad situation and a good deal. … He went through and outlined a lot of the details as to what we’ve supported in the past and how these would impact positively job creation and hopefully, according to a number of economists, reduce unemployment.”

“There are some people who are very supportive, some who are less supportive and probably some who are not really supportive at all,” Nelson said of his fellow Senate Democrats.

Following lunch with fellow Republicans, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he was “very hopeful and optimistic that the large majority of members of the Republican Conference will find this proposal worth supporting and I’m hopeful that Democratic leaders will be able to convince their members as well that this is the way to go forward, the right thing to do under these circumstances here as we move towards the end of the 111th Congress.”

Several Senate Democrats remain furious over Obama’s decision to back a two-year extension of President George W. Bush’s tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans, while some conservative Republicans are angry at a 13-month extension of unemployment benefits whose costs are not offset. That’s created some odd bedfellows in the Senate, with the likes of Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Jim DeMint of South Carolina criticizing the deal – though for different reasons.

The only people who seem genuinely pleased by the plan are a handful of moderate Republicans and Democrats who praise the president for brokering a bipartisan deal at a time of intense polarization in Congress.

And as Republicans are poised to gain new power in the House and Senate next year, Democrats are worried that Obama will be eager to leave them behind in order to advance legislation that draws significant GOP backing.

“I still seemed puzzled with the president’s enthusiasm and the Republicans giving an income tax break for people that make over a $1 million,” said Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu. “It’s very discouraging that we are actually borrowing $46 billion to apply an income tax relief to individuals and families earning more than $1 million.”

Landrieu added: “But why the president thought he had to give in on this? Why he didn’t have the confidence in a Democratic Caucus to hold the line? I don’t know. ... Why the president didn’t think there were …. 40 or 50 or 55 of us — that would stand with him on that principle, I don’t know. But he basically, I guess, didn’t think any of us cared much about it. Well, I want him to know that I do care.”